Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1887-08-24

1. In tracing out the religion of sectariar
ism, or bigotry, I find that great deal {
it comes from wrong education in the hom
circle. There are parents who do nc
think it wrong to caricature and ieer tn
peculiar forms of religion in the world, an
denounce other sects and other denomina
tions. 1t is very often the case that tina
kind of education acts just opposite to wha
was expected, and the children grow up
and, after while, go and see for themselves
and looking in those churches, and fiudin
that the people are good there, and the
love God and keep His commandments, b.
natural reaction they 60 and join those yer,
churches. could mention the names O
prominent ministers of the gospel VIII
spent their whole life bombarding othe
denominations and who lived to see thei
children preach the gospel in those yer,
denominations. But it is often the cas-
that bigotry starts IN household, and tina
the subject of it never RECEIVERS. There ar,
tens of thousands of bigots ten years old.
think sectarianism and bigotry also ris
from too great prominence.of any one de
nomination in community. All the othe
denominations are wrong, and his denomi
nation is right because his denomination il
the most wealthy or the most popular, o.
| the most influential, and it is tour" churcl
and sour" religious organization, ani
''our" choir" and tour" minister, and the
man tosses his head, and wants other de
nominations to know their places. 1t is 9
great deal better in any community wher
the great denominations of Christians are
about equal in power, marching side BY
side for the worlds conquest. Mere out
side prosperity, mere worldly power, is nc
evidence that the Church is acceptable tC
God. Better a barn with Christ in the
manger than cathedral with magnificent
harmonies rolling through the long drawn
aisle, and an angel from heaven in the pull
pit, if there be no Christ in the chancel and
no Christ in the robe. Bigotry is often the
child of ignorance.
You seldom find a man with large intel.
lect who is bigot. 1t is the man who
thinks he knows great deal, but does not.
That man Is almost always a bigot. The
whole tendency of education and civiliza.
tion is to bring man out of that kind of
state of mind and heart. There was in the
far East great obelisk, and one side Of the
obelisk was white, another side of the ODE.
lisk was green, another side of the obelisk
was blue, and travellers went and looked at
that obelisk, but they did not walk around
it. One man looked at one side, another at
another side, and they came home each one
looking at only one side; and they happen
ed to meet, the story says, and they got in.
to rank quarrel about the color of that
obelisk. One man said it was white, an.
other man said it was green, another man
said it was blue, and when they were in the
very heat Of the controversy more intelli-
gent traveller came and said, siGentlemen,
1 have seen that obelisk, and you are ali
right, and you are all wrong. Why didn't
you walk all around the obelisk?''
Look out for the man who sees only one
side of religious truth. Look out for the
man who never walks around about these
great theories of God and eternity and the
dead. He will be bigot inevitably-the
man who only sees one side. There is no
man more to be pitied than he who has III
his head just one idea-no more, no less.
More light, less sectarianism. There is no.
thing that will 80 soon kill bigotry as sun
shine-God's Sunshine.
II. So l have set before you what con-
slider to be the causes of bigotry. I have
set before you the origin of this great evil
What are some of the baleful effects2 First
of all, it cripples investigation. You are
wrong and am right, and that ends it.
No taste for exploration, no spirit of inves-
tigation. From the glorious realm of God s
truth, ever which an archangel might fly
from eternity to eternity and not reach the
limit, the man shuts himself out and dies, a
blind mole under corn shock. 1t stops all
investigation.
While each denomination of Christians is
to present all the truths of the Bible, it
seems to nee that God has given to each de-
nomination an especial mission to give par
ticular emphasis to some one doctrine; and
so the Calvlnistic churches must present the
sovereignty of God, and the Arminian
churches must present mans free agency,
aud the Episcopal churches must present
the Importance of order and solemn ceremo-
ny, and the Baptist churches mnst present
the necessity of ordinances, and the Con-
gregational Church must present the respon-
sibility of the individual member, aud the
Methodist Church must show what holy
enthusiasm. hearty congregational singing
can accomplish. While each denomination
Of Christians must set forth all the doctrines
of the Bible, feel it is especially incum-
bent upon each denomination to put partieu-
lar emphasis on some one doctrine.
Another great damage done by the secta-
rianism and bigetry of the Church is that it
disgusts people with the Christian religion.
Now, my friends. the Church of God was
never intended for war barrack. People
are afraid of a riot. You go down the street
and you see an excitement, and missiles fly
ing through the air, and you hear the shock
of firearms. Do you, the peaceful and in.
dustrious citizen, go through that street?
Oh, no! you will say, 'Pll 60 around the
block" Now, men come and look upon
this narrow path to heaven, and sometimes
see the ecclesiastical brickbats flying every
whittier, and they say, "Well, I guess I'll
take the broad road; If it is so yough, and
there is SO much sharp shooting on the mar
row road, guess I'll try the broad road"
Francis 1. SO hated the Lutherans that he
said if be thought there was one drop of
Lutheran blood in his veins he would pune
ture them and let that drop out. Just as
loIg as. thore is so much hostility between
denomination and denomination, or between
one professed Christian and another, or be-
tween one church and another, just so long
men will be disgusted with the Christian
religion, and say, eff that is religion, l
want none of it,"
Again, bigotry and sectal lianism do great
damage in the fact that they hinder the
triumph of the Gospel. Oh, how how much
wasted ammunition, how many men OF
splendid intellect have given their whole
life to controversial disputes, when, if they
had given their life to something practical,
they might have been vastly useful! Sup
pose this morning, while speak, there
were common enemy coming up the bay
through the Narrows, and all the forts
around New York began to fire into eacf
other, you would cry out, ''National sui
eide! why don't those forts blaze away il
one direction, and that against the common
enemy?" And yet see in the Church O
the Lord Jesus Christ strange thing goins
ion=-ehurch against church, minister agains
minister, denomination against denomina
tion firing away into their own fort, or tn,
fort which ought to be on the same side
instead of concentrating their energy ant
giving one mighty and everlasting volle,
against the navies of darkness riding vi
through the bay!
go out sometimes in the summer, and
find two beehives, and these two hives ar,
in quarrel. l come near enough, not tt
be stung, but come just near enough tx
hear the controversy, and one beehive says
'sThat field of clover is the sweetest" anC
and another beehive says, 'that field of clio
| yer ia the sweetest" | come in between